Not Now
by AdmHawthorne
Summary: Follow up to "Not Yet". Rizzles and lots of angst
1. Chapter 1

**Characters and such aren't mine. I just borrow them.**

* * *

"Maura, I can't believe you're asking me to do this." Jane sighed heavily as she held up the Prada shoes the blonde had just handed her. "Really? You know I don't like wearing this kind of stuff. I mean, come on, I get nose bleeds at this height."

"Jane, your use of hyperbole often amazes me." The doctor chuckled at the brunette. "But, we really don't have time for your over exaggeration of the current situation. We are due at the gala in four hours, and it's always best to arrive slightly early to avoid the main crowd that will be interested in the more well known individuals that will be attending." She opened her closet door. "I bought this dress for you to wear."

"I can't _wait_ to see it," Jane scowled and hopped up on Maura's bed. "Is it a Chanel? No, wait... is it... is it a Givenchy? _Tell_ me it's a Givenchy. I do _so_ love their collection this year. _Oh, _what about a Vera Wang? You know, I hear their fall collection was just _to die for_."

"Given your penchant for saying one thing yet meaning another, I can only assume you're being sarcastic." The doctor pulled a dress bag from her closet.

"You think?" Jane rolled her eyes and leaned back in the bed.

"However, just so you know, this is a Christian Dior." Maura hung the bag on a door hook and unzipped it. "Isn't it lovely?" She shot Jane a dazzling smile. "The stitching is just amazing, and I know you're going to look fabulous in this color."

The detective narrowed her eyes as she stared at the dress. "That top is a little low, isn't it?" She leaned forward in the bed to get a better look at the garment.

"Low? No, not at all. You have the perfect muscular structure to wear an item such as this. You see here?" Maura began to gesture over the highlights of the dress. "These cups will wrap around you snugly, and the waist is cinched here with a tight fit around your hips. It should give you an amazing silhouette."

"Really?" Jane shot off the bed and grabbed the garment. "Maura, this... this _piece of cloth_ doesn't have anything down the middle. Nothing! From my naval up, there's _nothing there_. You know, I'm not even sure this thing will even cover my _boobs_. How can you expect me to _wear_ this?"

"First of all, as I already pointed out, the cups will wrap snugly around you. However, I did expect you to be concerned about any malfunctions in your wardrobe, so I made sure to have this," she held up an aerosol can and shook it at Jane.

"Is that hairspray?"

"Body glue." The blonde pointed to the markings on the can. "It's perfectly safe... non-toxic."

"Body... really? You want me to _glue_ this lie of a dress onto my chest? What's next? You want me to superglue my earrings on?"

"Of course not. Your ears are pieces, and they do have clip-on earrings."

Jane gave a slight growl. "I can't even... no," she threw her hands up, "No way am I wearing this. It's just not going to happen."

"Jane, we really don't have time for this, and we don't have time to find another dress so soon." Maura took the dress from Jane's clutched hand and rehung it on the hook. "It took me weeks to get the appointment for the hair stylist, and I can't even _tell you_ how difficult it was to find a perfect match in color for the shoes to this dress. Trust me, sweetie," she leaned over and gently kissed the now seething detective, "You will look stunning."

"I will look _naked_." Jane crossed her arms. "I'm not going. If it's this dress or not going, I go with with not gong because," she pointed at the the dress, "Maura, if I wear that and anyone at the station sees it, it's game over."

"Really, Jane," the blonde rolled her eyes.

"_Really..._ Maura? Look, you know I don't care that everyone knows we're together, and you know that no one thinks it's a big deal. You know that I … _tolerate_ going to these things with you and letting you dress me up in stuff that costs more than a month's worth of my paychecks, but there's a line. I'm not some barbie doll that you can dress up and show off. I'm not...I'm not," she gave a frustrated shake of her head. "I'm not your _trophy girlfriend_. My body isn't here for you to show off, okay? I'm a homicide detective, not some haute couture glamor girl that likes to prance down red carpet events and dance in front of the cameras. I have a reputation to maintain. How am I supposed to keep my credibility as a cop when there are pictures of me splashed across the local metro section of the paper with my stomach showing and half my chest hanging out?"

"Jane, you really are over exaggerating. This dress is tasteful, and nothing is revealed that shouldn't be."

"But, it _is_ revealing, and, if the boys at the precinct saw me in this, I'd _never_ be able to live it down. I'm not going in that."

"Jane, you promised to attend this function with me. Everyone expects us to be there. If you don't attend, it will not do well for our reputation either. Now, stop being silly. You're going to look fine."

"You know what?" Jane glowered at the blonde. "Fine." She threw her hands up. "Fine, but this is the last time I do this. I mean it, Maura. From now on, you better take me with you or send me a picture of what you're going to buy before you do because I _am not_ doing this again."

"You mean pre-approval?" Maura let out a small chuckle.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I mean." The brunette glanced at her phone. "What time are we supposed to be at the hair place?"

"Twenty minutes. We need to leave now, or we'll be late." Maura laid a hand on Jane's arm. "I don't really understand why you're upset, but I don't like that I've made you that way."

"It's fine. Just do what I ask next time, okay?" The detective pulled away from the blonde, grabbed the dress, shoes, and a small bag, and headed for the door. "Let's just go."

* * *

"Rizzoli, you and Dr. Isles are in the paper this morning," Korsak looked over the top of the paper he was reading at his desk. "Nice dress." He turned it around to show her a quarter page spread containing a picture of her and Maura at the gala.

"Whoa, Jane, that's... uh.. that's quite a dress you had on there." Frost leaned over to get a closer look. "How did you... you know... keep it in place?" He made a vague motion with his hands across the top portion of his chest.

"I hate you both." She grabbed the paper from Korsak's hand. "You know, there were plenty of celebs at this thing. You'd think they'd have something better to print than _my_ picture." She started reading the article. "Oh crap."

"Language, Jane," Maura strolled into the squad room with a file in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

The detective's head whipped around. "You know what, Maura? You can bite me."

The doctor's eyes widened and she threw her hand across her chest in shock. "Jane, I..."

The detective threw the paper in front of the doctor's face. "Have you seen this? I _told_ you that I didn't want to do this. I _told_ you that it would cause problems for me. Look at this! My name is all over this article along with what I do and where I work. I can't believe this. The Brass is going to have my ass for this. I didn't talk to anyone while I was there but you and your friends. All of them know who I am already, so who the hell told the press?" She threw the paper down on Korsak's desk. "And who the hell thought that a local cop in a dress was more interesting than all the A-lists that were there last night? Oh my god," Jane ran the palms of her hands over her eyes, "This is a nightmare."

Maura set down the coffee and folder. She walked over to the paper and picked it up. "But, I don't understand, you look fine. In fact, you look..."

"Rizzoli. My office. Now." Lieutenant Cavanaugh grabbed the paper from Maura. "You too, Doctor."

* * *

"This," Cavanaugh held the paper up to the two women, "Cannot happen. Rizzoli, you've put the credibility of the entire homicide department into question over this little stunt."

"Lieutenant, I..."

"I don't want to hear it."

"Excuse me, Lieutenant?" Maura gave a little wave.

"Yes, Dr. Isles?" He gave her a warning look.

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand what the issue is here. Jane is dressed appropriately for this event. In fact, I picked this dress out myself. I thought it was quite tasteful."

"I figured you were the one." His jaw tensed for a moment. "Our detective's can't go around looking like high class call girls, I don't care how good they might look in the outfit."

"Hey!" Jane scowled at her boss. She made a move to stand but was stopped short by a wave of his hand.

"Facts are facts, and the fact is, you look like a hooker, and the Brass is pissed, Jane." He turned back to Maura. "I assumed you were the one responsible for this atrocity." He gestured at the paper. "Listen to what I'm saying because, if I have to say it again, it'll be with the Brass and HR standing beside me, this _cannot_ happen again. Keep it tasteful from here on out. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Jane grumbled as she shot a furious look at the blonde.

"Dr. Isles?"

"Of course, Lieutenant Cavanaugh, we will be certain to avoid such issues in the future." Maura blinked rapidly as she tried to maintain her composure.

"Go." He motioned for the door.

* * *

"_Jane, it's me. I know you're there. It's Monday night, and you never miss your show. Please answer your phone. Jane? I'll try again. Love you."_

Jane listened to the voice mail as she paced around her apartment. She was angry and not sure if talking to Maura was a good idea. Between being called a hooker by her boss, having the other detectives give her a hard time all day, and having to duck some annoying local press who were treating her like a D-list celebrity, she wasn't having a great day. None of it would have happened if Maura hadn't pressured her to do something she didn't want to do or, better yet, had just bought a dress instead of two pieces of cloth held together with a few stitches.

Now, she was in trouble with the Brass for not representing the department well, having to deal with her mother's voice mails about how to appropriately dress, and trying to avoid seeing anyone else because the whole situation was really embarrassing for her. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to the reason she was in this mess.

Her phone rang again. It was Maura. She pushed it to voice mail. A few seconds later, her phone chimed to indicate there was a message.

"_Jane, please don't shut me out. I understand you're upset, and I believe I understand why now. It's not healthy to keep things bottled up. Let's talk about this. Please, Jane? ...I'll just wait until you decide to contact me back."_

They had been together for two years. It was first time Maura hadn't ended a voice mail with 'love you' since they'd told each other just that.

Jane slumped against her kitchen cabinet. This was not going to end well. She could feel it coming.

* * *

"Frost, can you run down to the morgue and grab the reports?" Jane scanned through her emails.

"Yeah, sure, but don't you want to go?"

"No, I've got some things to take care of here." Jane didn't take her eyes off of her screen.

"Okay," He gave Korsak a questioning look. Korsak just shrugged. "I'll be right back." He left the squad room with a puzzled look on his face.

"You okay?" Korsak walked over to Jane's desk.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" She looked up at her ex-partner. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you know, I can't help but notice that you've been avoiding the morgue all day."

"I haven't been _avoiding_ it. I've just been busy." She shrugged. "You know how it is. I got a lot of paperwork to do."

"Jane," he leaned down to look her in the eye. "This is me you're talking to. Come on."

She sighed. "I'm just... I can't," she scratched the back of her head. "I'm really angry, Korsak, and I don't want to walk in and say or do something stupid because I was angry. When this started, I said I didn't want to mess this up, and I still don't. I'm just trying to give myself time to cool off, you know?"

"Yeah, but you two have a strong relationship. You need to talk to her... work it out."

"And you would know how not to mess up a relationship?" She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, how do you think I messed mine up?" He nodded toward her. "Think about it. Talk to her, Janie."

* * *

It took longer than normal for Maura to come to the door. When she opened it, she looked disheveled and her eyes were slightly red. Jane felt a tinge of guilt run through her. It was clear the woman in front of her had been crying.

"Hey," she shifted from one foot to the other.

"Jane, I... what are you doing here?"

"I thought maybe we could talk." She flinched. "Can I come in?"

* * *

"You've been avoiding me for nearly a week. I was beginning to think you weren't ever going to speak with me again." Maura drifted through her kitchen pulling down wine glasses and pulling out a bottle of wine.

"I'm sorry about that." Jane took the offered glass. "It's been a rough week, you know?"

Maura took a sip of her wine as she watched the brunette shift her glass from hand to hand. "Why didn't you return any of my calls?"

"I was angry." She set the glass down. "I was afraid I'd say something I couldn't take back... that I'd mess this up."

"Are you still angry?" Maura set her own glass down.

"Yeah, I am, but not like before." Jane wrapped her arms around her torso and glanced around the room. "My job... my reputation is really important to me."

"More important than us?"

"Maura..."

"Jane, it was a dress. It's not as though you were caught in some sordid and compromising position. You were at a public event and off duty."

"It doesn't matter if I'm on duty or off duty, I'm still a cop, and I still represent the department. You know that."

"I know that I don't handle your silence well."

"Well, I don't handle your lack of regard for my job well."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It _means_ that if you cared about things that really mattered to me, you wouldn't _force_ me into doing things like that. You know, if you'd just treat me like a human being instead of another accessory to your Dior and Chanel outfits, maybe we wouldn't fight all the time."

"I do not treat you that way! Just because I try to add a little style to your..."

"_Style? _So, what? You think I can't dress myself? You sure didn't have an issue with what I wore when we first started dating. What else do you think I need more... style with?"

"You make it sound as though I think something is wrong witj you."

"Yeah, well, do you?"

"No! Of course not. Why would you ask me that? Jane, you know I love you."

"I know you love who you turn me into when I'm not at work or at Ma's."

"What?"

"You dress me up so I'm presentable to your friends. You're constantly correcting me or training me to do a certain thing or say something in a certain way. You criticize the stuff I like to do..."

"When have I _ever_..."

"Last week I wanted to go to the festival that was in town. After pointing out all the reasons that sort of event was unsanitary, you then moved on to tell me everything that was wrong with the concept, and you ended by telling me we were going to that museum's art exhibition instead."

"Well, I... that's not really how it happened."

"Yeah, it really is, and that's just one example. You do it all the time! Then, when I talk to you about it, you blow me off as being silly. You know, you really don't take me seriously, and I'm really getting tired of it."

"_I_ don't take _you_ seriously? How often am I excluded from the things you do because you think I 'wouldn't understand' or I 'wouldn't like it'? How would you know? You never ask me. You never give me a chance. There was a time when you included me; you were willing to teach me. Now, it's as if I'm too much trouble for you. We go to _your_ family events. We normally go where _you_ want to go when we do actually go out. Who, exactly, is the 'trophy girlfriend' here? From where I'm standing, I'd say your accusations are better suited for yourself than me."

"You... I can't even," Jane threw her hands up in the air. "I can't do this anymore." She pulled her keys out and slide a set off of her ring. "It's just too much. Frankly, I don't even understand how we got together. We don't have anything in common, and you clearly don't get me. So here," she slammed the keys down on the counter. "Why don't you give these to someone that won't embarrass you at your next gala function because they're okay with being half naked in front of God knows how many people? I'm through, Maura."

"Jane!" Maura reached out to grab the brunette's arm, but the other woman pulled away. "Are you _leaving_ me?"

"Why not? We haven't been together in months anyway... just going through the motions."

Maura reached for Jane again. "Jane, please, don't do this. Let's just... let's just talk about it."

The detective pulled away again. "Fuck off, Maura." Jane stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

"Oh god," Maura stood in her living room staring at the closed door. "What am I going to do?"

* * *

**Don't worry, this isn't a one shot... Please remember that reviews are my crack! Thank you ^_^  
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	2. Chapter 2

"Jane, is everything okay? It's 11 o'clock at night." Angela Rizzoli stepped aside to let her daughter into the house. "You look upset."

"Yeah, well, that might be because I _am_ upset," she walked into the kitchen and plopped down on a chair. "And pissed off." She slammed her forehead onto the palms of her hands.

"Honey, what's happened?" Angela sat down next to her daughter. "What's going on? Is someone hurt?"

"You could say that." Jane took in a shaky breath.

"Is it Frankie? Did something happen with Frankie?" Her mother grasped her arm, panic starting to build up in her voice.

"No Ma. Frankie is fine." Jane sighed and turned to her mother. "I just broke up with Maura."

"You... Jane, what happened? You two seemed perfectly fine at dinner the other night."

"I don't know," she stood up, running an unsteady hand through her hair. "I just... kind of snapped." She began to pace around the darkened kitchen. "You know that whole thing with the dress?" Angela nodded. "Well, I went over to her place tonight to talk about it. I said some things; she said some things, and the next thing I know I'm slamming the key down on her counter and telling her to fuck off."

"You didn't!" Angela didn't try to keep the shock off of her face.

"Yeah... yeah, I did. I told her to fuck off, and then I stomped out of her place." The brunette stopped. "I can't believe I did this." She leaned against the cabinet behind her, crossing her arms. "What am I going to do, Ma?"

"Honey, maybe you should cool down tonight? It sounds like you two were just having a bad night. Your father and I have had fights before. These things, they pass. Watch, tomorrow you'll wake up, and things will be better."

Jane slowly shook her head. "No, it's more than just a fight. It's... it's a culture clash that's been coming for a while now. I told her I wasn't her trophy girlfriend just before we went to that gala, and tonight she told me she wasn't _my_ trophy girlfriend, either. I don't know," she ran her hand across her chin. "It's like we forgot who we are to each other... just some," she motioned with her hand, "Some sort of convenience for each other. We're just the other one's meal guest or person to go with to things with or f... well, you get what I'm saying."

Angela stood up and crossed the short distance to where her daughter was leaning over the sink. "Maybe you two just need some time?" She placed a hand on Jane's slumped back. "It sounds like you have a few things you need to work out, but nothing's impossible. You two have always seemed to make each other so happy. Honey, this is just a rough patch."

"You think so?" Jane gave a small glance to her mother.

"Sure, all relationships have them. But, if you can work through it, you'll be stronger than ever." She gave her daughter a reassuring smile as she gently patted her back.

"Yeah, but, what if we can't work through this?"

* * *

"Dr. Isles, I came to see if you have the," Korsak stopped talking the moment he laid eyes on the normally well composed blonde.

Maura Isles sat at her desk in a wrinkled shirt and slightly baggy pants with a pair of scuffed dress boots on. Her normally perfectly styled hair was pulled back in a clip and her face free of any hint of makeup.

"Doc, are you okay?" He walked slowly into the morgue as he took in the doctor's appearance.

Her head shot up in surprise. "Vince... I'm sorry. I didn't hear you come in. Did you need something?" She gave him a weak smile.

"Well, I came down here to grab the lab reports for the Marino case, but," he gave her his best concerned look, "Are you okay?"

"I'm tired." She ran a hand over her desk looking for the Marino file. "I have the file here somewhere. I'm sorry, Vince, I seem to be terribly unorganized today." She picked through a few stacks of folders covering her work area.

The detective leaned down and placed a hand on top of the one frantically running through paperwork. "Did something happen between you and Jane?"

She stared at their hands trying to keep the tears from falling. "What would make you say that?"

"Doc, Jane was my partner, and I've known you for a long time. What kind of detective would I be if I couldn't figure out when one of my friends is having a hard time?" He let go of her hand and sat down in the chair by her desk. "Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

Maura closed her eyes and took a slow breath. "Jane and I had a fight last night."

"Sometimes couples fight."

"She broke up with me." She opened her eyes but couldn't meet Korsak's surprised expression. "She left my house keys on my counter, and she left."

"Jane... you know, she can be hot headed. Maybe you just need to give her some time to cool down?"

The blonde shook her head slowly. "It's more than that this time. We've had disagreements before, but it's never been like this." She met the detective's sympathetic gaze. "Vince, she told me... she told me to," she leaned in and lowered her voice. "She told me to 'fuck off'." She shook her head. "She's never used that kind of language with me before. Sometimes, we fight and she says 'piss off', but never... never _that_."

Korsak sat there for a moment waiting to see if the doctor would say something else. When she didn't, he cleared his throat and nodded slowly, "Maybe you two just need a little time? I'm... I'm probably not the best person to give advice on relationships, but I know that you and Jane have a connection. It's something special, and I don't think one disagreement is going to destroy what you two have."

"I saw her this morning, but she wouldn't even look at me. I don't know," she ran her hand across her face. "Maybe... maybe I should be mad, too.? But, all I can think about is how stupid I was to ignore her concerns. When I try to pick up the phone to call her, I freeze. I don't know what to say. We fight so much, and we work together." She shook her head. "Maybe I need to take some time off?"

"You mean leave?"

"Not permanently, but I haven't taken a vacation in over a year. Maybe it's time? It would give Jane some space and me some time to reflect and recenter myself. I mean," she looked down at her clothes, "Just look at me. As Jane would say, I'm a 'hot mess' right now." She gave a humorless chuckle. "I don't want to push her, but I don't think I'm going to be an effective medical examiner while I'm in this kind of emotional turmoil. Since I don't believe this issue will be resolved with Jane anytime soon, maybe I should step away until it can be?"

"That sounds an awful lot like running away, Doc, and I don't really peg you as the type."

"Sometimes a hasty retreat is needed in order to regroup and reevaluate your battle plan, Vince." She reached across her desk and picked up a green file folder. "I don't know how I missed this. It's the only colored folder on my desk." She handed it to him. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get my files in order."

"Yeah, sure, Doc." He stood. "Listen, if you ever just need to talk..."

"I know who to call. Thank you, Vince, that's very kind."

* * *

"Maura, I need to talk to you about the Marino case." Jane stepped into the morgue for the first time in over a week. "Maura?" She looked around the seemingly empty room. "Maura, come on, I need to talk to you about these results." She stepped into the middle of the room and did a 360. "Hello? Where the hell is everyone?"

"Can I help you?" A tall, lanky short haired redhead in black slacks and a white button down dress shirt walked into the morgue from a side office. "I'm sorry. I had to step out for a moment."

Jane gave the woman the once over. "And you are?"

"Dr. Temperance Brennan, and you're Detective Olivia Benson, right?" She smirked at the brunette. "Seriously, did you miss the memo?"

"What memo?" The irritation in Jane's voice caused her words to lash out heavily.

"The one that went out three days ago. Dr. Isles is on extended leave, and I'm taking her place until she gets back." The redhead extended her hand. "Dr. Jude O'Connor. You must be Detective Jane Rizzoli. You're the only one in homicide I haven't met yet."

Jane shook the other woman's hand. "Wait, Maura's on _leave_." She shook her head. "Why didn't the guys tell me this?"

"How did you miss the memo? I mean, come on, there was a welcome lunch. If you weren't so cranky, maybe you would have noticed the welcome note on the bulletin board." She grabbed the folder out of Jane's hand. "But, you didn't come down here just to talk to Dr. Isles, I'm sure. So, what's going down here?" She started flipping through the file.

"I... uh … I came down here to ask Maura about some of the test results. But, I guess you can help me with that?"

"Yeah, I think I'm qualified." Dr. O'Connor rolled her eyes at the brunette. "Show me what you've got questions on, and I'll see what I can do. But, let's make this snappy. I've got two tickets to the ballgame tonight, and I still have to find a date."

"You're going to rush the science?" Jane's eyebrows shot up.

"No, I'm going to rush the detective. Science is already done. Dr. Isles did that. I'm just answering questions, right?"

"Yeah... wait, did you say you have tickets to the game?"

"Yup, I had a date, but she bailed on me." The doctor sighed. "I'm a total loser for thinking she wouldn't flake. But, whatever... why?" She shot the detective a mischievous grin. "Are you into baseball?"

"Yeah and basketball. I tried to get tickets, but I ran out of time."

The ME shrugged. "You want to come with? It'd really be a favor for me; I'd owe you one. At least this way I don't have to bug a fried or (God forbid) an ex, and I don't want to waste the ticket."

"Yeah, sure. You want to meet up there?"

"Yeah, I'm going to want to change before I go to the game. Beer is a bitch to get out of white shirts."

"Tell me about it." Jane smiled at Jude. "So, I have all my questions written down. Could you look at it and get back to me?"

"Yeah, I'll do what I can tonight and email you. Will it be okay if I can't get it finished tonight?"

"Should be fine." The brunette started toward the elevators. "I'll see you tonight."

* * *

**I hope that nashing sound isn't teeth being ground together as we meet Dr. O'Connor. She's a good woman, really. Don't send death threats... :-/**

**PS... reviews are still my crack! Feed me! ^_^  
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	3. Chapter 3

"_Maura, it's Jane. I know I'm probably the last person you want to talk to right now, but it's not like you to disappear. When I found out you took leave, I went by your house, but I guess you're not there. I… yeah, you know."_

Jane clipped her cell phone back on her belt and looked around the crowded outside of the ballpark. Jude said to meet at the home plate entrance, but she still wasn't there. The detective was starting to think some kind of cruel joke had been played on her when a hand tapped her on the right shoulder. She spun around to find no one there, but she heard a chuckle coming from her left.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to walk my dog, and she gets cranky with me when she thinks I'm going to leave her alone for too long." The redhead gave a self-depreciating smile. "She is worse on guilt trips than my mother."

"Your mother's good at that, too? Mine has a freaking PHD in guilt-tripology." Jane sighed. "I'm glad I'm not the only one."

"Not even close, my friend." Jude put a hand on Jane's elbow to guide her through the crowd. Jane stiffened slightly. "You okay?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine. Just a lot of people, you know? It'll be better when we sit down. Beers are on me."

* * *

Maura stared at her cell phone for a long moment. It had gone off as she was boarding the plane, and she had decided to not answer it. She was on vacation, after all. Once the okay had been given for all electrical devices to be turned back on, she had looked to see who called.

Jane had left a voice mail.

Sitting in first class with a glass of wine in one hand and her phone on the other, the doctor debated downing the glass before listening or just deleting it without ever listening to it. She finally settled on listening to it but not downing the wine first.

She sighed to herself as the message concluded, "Perhaps you should check your memos more regularly," she mumbled to herself.

"Pardon?" The person sitting next to her turned to look in her direction. "Did you say something?"

"Oh, I… well, yes, but… You see, I was listening to my voice mail, and… you know what, it doesn't matter. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you." Maura mentally kicked herself for her lack of eloquence. She just felt so off balance. She was hoping a trip to her favorite bed and breakfast would help. There was something soothing about sitting on a large front porch, sipping tea, and doing nothing to settle one's mind.

"No problem, I talk to myself all the time. Jason Randal Hurst," he offered his hand, "But, most people call me JR. Please don't ask me if I know any Ewings." He smiled at her.

"Ewings? What's a Ewing?" Maura took his hand and gave it a light shake. "Dr. Maura Isles."

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Isles." He gave her piercing glance. "Now, Dr. Isles, are you pulling my leg, or do you really not know who JR Ewing is?"

She could feel her blush starting to rise. Clearly, this was a pop culture reference of some kind that she should know. "Well, Mr. Hurst…"

"Please, call me JR." He winked at her.

She blushed a bit more. "You are welcome to called me Maura." She gave him a weak smile. "In regards to your question, I haven't a clue who JR Ewing is. Should I?"

"You mean to tell me you're flying down to Dallas, and you don't know anything about the tv show 'Dallas'?" She chuckled and shook his head.

"I'm afraid not." She scrunched her nose up in thought. "Though, the name does sound vaguely familiar, I'm afraid I'm just not very good at pop culture references."

"I'll say." He leaned back in his chair. "Well, it doesn't matter anyway. What brings you down to Dallas?"

"I'm going to a bed and breakfast just outside of the city that I've always found relaxing."

"That so? All by yourself?"

She sighed. "Yes, unfortunately."

"Man trouble? I can hear it in your voice. Your boyfriend must be giving you a hard time."

"I'm actually not in a relationship at this moment." She frowned as Jane's voice mail ran through her head again.

"Well, in that case, if you don't have plans for dinner, what do you say we grab a bite to eat when the plane touches down? I happen to live in Dallas, and I know a great little steakhouse in Downtown Dallas that's got the best porterhouses in the world."

"Though I'm certain that's a hyperbole, your invitation sounds pleasant. I'd be happy to meet up with you. I'm not going out to the bed and breakfast until tomorrow. I'm staying in the city tonight."

"Great! So, tell me, Maura, what kind of doctor are you?"

* * *

"I cannot _believe_ we lost that! We totally had it. There's no way they should be able to beat us. This is a disgrace." Jane slammed her empty beer cup into the trash as they left the stadium.

"Well, you guys have had better games, that's for sure." Jude laughed at the brunette. "You hungry or have your lost your appetite after watching that?"

"I don't know… yeah, I could eat." Jane shrugged. "You want to meet somewhere?"

"I took a cab. I kind of figured it'd be easier than finding parking."

"I drove. Come on, my car's this way. What are you in the mood for?"

"Pizza?"

Jane checked her watch. It was 11 at night. "Yeah, I know a joint that's open this late."

* * *

"My car is parked over there, if you want a ride? Or, did you rent a car?" JR swung his carry on over his shoulder and picked up his bag.

"No, I considered it, but the bed and breakfast will provide transportation. I was just going to take a taxi to my hotel." She began to look around.

"Well, since we're going to dinner anyway, why don't you let me take you to your hotel so you can check in, and we can just go to the restaurant together?"

"Okay," she regarded him for a moment, "That sounds like an agreeable plan. I'm staying at the Hilton Anatole tonight."

"I know exactly where that is, and it's not far from that steakhouse. Come on, they stop serving at 11. We better hurry."

* * *

**I can hear it now... there's going to be a club titled "I hate Jude and JR" that starts posting on Twitter. I see it coming... LoL**

**PS... please fee me my crack! FF writers love reviews ^_^ Thanks  
**


	4. Chapter 4

"You haven't talked a lot about your friends back in Boston, Maura. Why don't you tell me about them?" JR waved a waiter down for another glass of wine.

"I'd much rather hear something about you, JR. I would hate to take up the entire evening with talk about myself." Maura smiled gently at the tall, sandy blonde haired man in front of her.

"You know, down here it's proper for a gentleman to let a lady speak her piece first, but, since you're asking, I'm in the business of buying and selling art."

Maura's eyes lit up. "Oh, you're an art dealer?"

His smile widened. "That's right. It's my family's business. We've been in the trade for almost four generations now."

Maura dimmed almost slightly. "Almost four generations? I'm afraid I don't understand that statement."

"My sister's youngest is looking to get into the business. She's a sharp girl, very intelligent," he smirked at the blond, "Not so much unlike a certain doctor I've just recently become acquainted with."

"Oh, I see," Maura could feel a blush creeping up her neck. "That's very kind of you, JR."

"No, ma'am, _that_ is simply the truth." He nodded his head as if to punctuate the statement.

Maura glanced down at her glass of water and closed her eyes for a moment. "What's the name of your family's business?" She ventured a glance up to see him smirking over the rim of his glass.

"JRH International."

Maura's head shot up and her eyes widened again. "_The_ JRH International? One of the largest art dealers in the country? I can't _tell_ you how many pieces I've bought from you over the years. They are always of the most exquisite taste and amazing composition." She shook her head as if it might arrange the data now flowing through it into some semblance of order. "So, you are Jason Randal Hurst IV?"

"That's what my business associates call me. Well, they do and my momma when I'm in trouble." He chuckled at himself. "Personally, I'd rather my friends stick with calling me 'JR'." He winked at the doctor.

"Well, I…" Maura's phone rang. She made an apologetic face as she checked the Caller ID. It was the Boston PD. "I'm sorry, JR, but I must take this call; it's the Boston Police Department." She made a motion to stand, but stopped when he waved at her to stop.

"I understand. I'll just go take a long trip over to the men's room. I'll be back in a little bit." He gave a small tip of his head to her as he walked by on his way out of the room.

* * *

"I'm impressed, Rizzoli. For a pizza place open when the zombies start coming out, that was pretty good." Jude nudged the detective in the arm with her shoulder as they walked to Jane's car. "How'd you find this place?"

"Maura and I always wind up working late, and I don't always want to eat her health food junk. Normally, we just go to her place to eat if it gets too late. I don't really eat at my place. Actually, I don't really cook," she smirked at the woman walking beside her. "Anyway, I looked around for some place we could both find something we liked that was open late enough." She shrugged. "This place fit the bill."

"Really? What does Dr. Isles usually get?" The sparkle that had been in Jude's eyes all night seemed to dim a bit. "This doesn't really seem like her type of place." She flinched when she saw the hard look Jane was shooting her across the top of the car. "I mean, you know, she seems more like the caviar and champagne type than beer and pizza just based on what I know of her reputation and what I've seen around the office."

"Oh, well," Jane opened the door and plopped into her seat with a sigh and waited for Jude to settle in on the passenger's seat, "Maura's unique, you know? I asked her once why she was slumming with us when I know for a fact she could have been a Fairfield."

"Of _the_ Fairfields?" The redhead looked both impressed and frightened at the same time.

"Yeah, them," Jane shrugged and started the car.

"What did she say?"

"She didn't. She showed me. We went to this thing." Jane motioned with her hand as if to brush the explanation away. "Anyway, I get it. She's not really slumming. She likes my world, and I guess she likes seeing me make an ass of myself in her world, which I do on a pretty regular basis." The brunette chuckled to herself.

"You two seem close." Jude shifted in the seat and leaned against the door.

"Yeah, well…"

"Damn it." The doctor's hands ran over the pockets of her coat. "I'm sorry. I just realized that I've lost my cell _again_." She jerked around, trying to feel around in all of her pockets. "Crap! I think I left it at the office. Do you mind swinging by the station? You know there'll be hell to pay if I get a call and don't answer it."

"Yeah sure… it's only a couple of blocks anyway. Besides, I need to make a phone call."

* * *

"Isles." Maura had a feeling she knew who was on the other end of the line, but she wasn't one to do anything based off of assumptions.

"_Maura, it's Jane."_

The blonde swallowed hard. "Yes, Detective? Is there something I can help you with?"

"_I… are you okay? You were here, and then you weren't. I didn't know… I tried to call you earlier. Did you get my message?"_

She closed her eyes. Why did Jane have to be so… Jane? "I'm well, thank you. Did you call for a specific reason or to socialize? I can't imagine you need my expertise at the moment. I understand Dr. O'Connor is a very experienced medical examiner."

"_Yeah, she's okay. We went to the ballpark together tonight…"_

"You went out on a date?" Maura's back straightened and her eyes hardened.

"_Well… no, it's not like that. She had tickets and no one to… look, Maura, can we please talk?"_

"Now is not really a good time, Jane. I'm on vacation, and I'm at dinner with someone."

"_Wait a minute, are __**you**__ on a date?"_ Maura didn't respond. _"Maura, __**are **__you?"_

"We met on the plane. He's a very nice gentleman. He owns a well-known art dealer's company."

"_Art dealer? Well-known? Wait a minute… __**he**__? Maura, what the hell is going on?"_

"Language, Jane." Despite herself, Maura couldn't help but give a small smile. Some things never change.

"_No way, you tell me what's going on, or I'm coming down there." _Maura flinched at the crack she heard in the detective's voice.

"You don't even know where I am. How would you come to where I am when you don't know my location?" It was typical of Jane to be spur-of-the-moment and fool-hearty. That's why Maura always made the plans when they went out. Jane, she noted to herself, always forgot something in her excitement to make the plans. The doctor smiled to herself again.

"_I'm a detective. I can find you."_

"Jane, you broke up with me, not the other way around. I'm free to do and to see whomever I please." She threw her head back and closed her eyes. "Why are you calling me, Jane?"

"_I don't know. I was talking to Jude about you and…"_

"You're already on a first name basis with her? That didn't take long."

"_Maura…"_

"What do you want me to say, Jane? I left Boston to get away from you, and here you are calling me. I don't know why I answered the phone. I assumed it was you as soon as I saw the number."

"_You don't like to make judgments based on guessing."_

Maura gave a humorless chuckle. "That is true." She sighed and looked down into her water glass. Jane always knew her so well. "I assume she's attractive to you then? Tell me, Jane. I want to know." Why was she doing this to herself? She shook her head. For the first time in a long while, Dr. Maura Isles didn't understand what was going on inside her own head. It was frustrating and disconcerting.

Jane gave out a groan of frustration but answered the question. _"She understands and likes baseball and beer… she cusses and doesn't correct me when I do. She's cute, she's smart, she's coming this way. I have to go. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you or interrupt whatever it was you were doing. Lo… goodbye, Maura."_

The blonde's head jerk a little as she heard the receiver click on the other end of the line. She took a few deep breaths before she closed her phone and placed it back in her bag.

"All done?" JR came around the table, a big smile still playing on his face. "That took longer… hey now, you don't seem happy as I left you. Everything alright?" He sat down across from her and reached for her hand. She let him take it.

"I… well, no." Maura pulled her hand away and clasped both hands together in her lap. "That was my… my," she shook her head and tried to keep the tears from escaping. "I'm very sorry, JR. I don't mean to be poor company."

"It's alright," he pulled a handkerchief from his coat pocket and offered it to her. She took it and dabbed at her eyes. "I don't mean to be blunt, but was that your ex?"

"What would make you say that?" Maura handed the handkerchief back.

"You said back on the plane that you were alone 'unfortunately'." He shrugged. "Between that and the comment you made to your voice mail that prompted me to talk to you, I just assumed you had an ex. Seems like he upset you quite a bit. I know we just met, but you're welcome to talk to me about it. Restaurant doesn't close for another couple of hours anyway."

"Yes, that was my 'ex', as you put it, and, yes, I am quite upset. However, I think I may have brought this particular pain upon myself. Though I did not break off the relationship, I have a feeling that I may have been incorrect to assume that the relationship is actually over." She frowned. "Also, I'm afraid I miss her terribly."

JR ran a hand through his short cropped hair. "Well, that explains that."

Maura looked up with a puzzled expression fighting with the sad one on her face. "What do you mean?"

"I don't like to call myself a ladies' man, but I normally do pretty well. By now, I'd normally be… well, let's just say I'm not where I thought I would be by now." He chuckled. "Don't get me wrong. I've really enjoyed your company tonight. I'm glad I met you, but tonight just wasn't what I was figuring it was going to be." She shook his head. "Tell you what, why don't I take you back to your hotel, and you can tell me about her over room service? My treat?"

"Are you certain? I don't want to be any more of an imposition…"

He stood up. "I'm positive. Besides, this night is about shot anyway. Might as well help a friend in need." He offered his arm. "Ready?"

"Hey, who was that?" Jude bounded into the squad room.

* * *

"Nobody," Jane shook her head and stood up. "It doesn't matter. Want to come to my place? I got a few beers in the fridge and last couple of new episodes of Law & Order: SVU recorded."

Jude shot Jane a grin. "How can I say no to an offer like that?"

* * *

**Okay, do we still hate JR? ... that's what I thought... PS, don't forget to feed me my crack**


	5. Chapter 5

"I _love_ Law & Order," Jude plopped down on the sofa with a beer in one hand and a bag of chips in the other. "I'll watch any of it, but SVU is definitely my favorite of the franchise." She set the bottle between her legs and popped open the chip bag. "Problem is, I don't have cable where I'm staying, and I have been jonesing for Mariska, so you totally rock for letting me come over and watch her here."

"No problem," Jane sat down on the other end of the sofa. "I was going to watch it anyway. Besides," she shrugged and grabbed the bag of chips from Jude's hand, "It's nice to watch it with someone who can just _watch_ it instead of analyzing every scene." She rolled her eyes as she crunched on the chips.

"Okay, I have _got_ to know," the redhead put her bottle on the coffee table and turned to face the other woman. "Are you and Dr. Isles an item or what?"

Jane stopped mid-chew and put the bag down on the table by the two beer bottles. She took a moment to swallow and take a sip of her beer. "It's complicated."

"Clearly," Jude raised an eyebrow. "Look, I just need to know where things stand. It's late (or early), so I'll be frank here. I think you're hot, and I think I could really like you. But, I don't want to waste my time on a taken woman. So, if all we're ever going to be is friends, I'm cool with that. But, I just want to know where the boundaries are, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah… yeah, I understand." Jane stared at her hands for a moment. "You think I'm hot?" She gave the doctor an unsure glance.

"Really? You even have to ask that? Your body is amazing. It's a work of art, my friend." Jude gave Jane an 'are you serious' look.

"Maura never told me that." The brunette frowned. "She never told me a lot of things, I guess."

"So, you're not together?"

"No," Jane shook her head, "No, we're not. I broke it off a couple of weeks ago. In fact, she's somewhere on a date right now."

"That was her on the phone, wasn't it?" Jude leaned forward and placed a hand on Jane's knee. "I'm sorry. No one told me you two were an item. I would have laid off if I'd known what was going on."

"No, it's okay. It's nice, you know? I had a good time tonight." She gave Jude a weak smile.

"I should go. Maybe we can have lunch or something this weekend?" She stood to leave and Jane followed.

"Yeah, that'd be cool." Jane stood by the door with her hand on the knob. "Thanks for inviting me to the game. I really did have a good time."

"Sure thing," Jude waited for Jane to open the door. "Jane, I can't leave if you don't let me out."

Jane crossed her arms and leaned against the door. "I just… It's just that… Look, I'm not going to lie. I'm pretty conflicted right now. Anything that happened between us would just," she scrunched her face up, "It'd just be rebound stuff, you know? I couldn't promise a relationship or even a good friendship."

Jude leaned back to get a better look at the brunette blocking her way. "_Are_ you offering something, Detective?"

"I'm… I'm," Jane threw her hands up in the air. In an impulsive move, she stepped forward, grabbed Jude's face with both hands, and pulled her into a kiss. For the breath of a moment, they kissed. Jane pulled away first. "I can't offer anything. I don't have anything left to give or anything I'm willing to really offer. But," she ran a finger over Jude's jawline. "You're only going to be here until Dr. Isles gets back. Maybe we can make the most of the time you're here?"

Jude ran her hands down Jane's side to rest them on her hips as her green eyes stared into Jane's brown. "No strings? No U-Haul? No drama?"

"And no friendship. I'm not ready for a replacement. You know what I mean?" Jane wrapped her hands around Jude's neck.

"So, no hanging out? Just…"

"Yeah. That's what I mean. Like I said, you're only going to be here until _she_ gets back." Jane stared down at the other woman's lips. "I just want something uncomplicated for a change."

"What happens when she gets back?" Jude pulled the brunette closer to her.

"I don't know. I don't know that I really care."

"You care."

"Maybe… probably… I'll deal with it then. You'll be gone, so what does it matter?" Jane leaned into the redhead, pushing their bodies flush.

Jude inhaled deeply as she considered. "I promise not to get attached if you promise not to blame me for the mess this will undoubtedly cause."

"No one has to know." Jane smirked.

"Oh, they won't know, but _she_ will…"

"Yes or no?"

"Promise me."

"I promise. Any trouble I get into will be of my own doing. You are absolved of any guilt."

"A detective _and_ a lawyer… I _am_ impressed." Jude laughed. "Well, if those are you terms, I think I can deal with them." The doctor closed the short distance between them, kissing Jane soundly on the lips. "This should be interesting."

Jane ran her tongue along the other woman's ear before whispering, "You have no idea." She pulled away, grabbing the doctor's arm. "My bed's this way."

* * *

"I can't help but feel something is wrong." Maura sipped on her wine as she reclined on her hotel bed.

"You mean besides the fact you're in a hotel room with a man you met on a plane just today talking to him about your ex-girlfriend while the two of you share a bottle of wine?" JR chuckled and refilled their glasses.

"Well," Maura tilted her head to the side, "When one puts it in such a manner, it does sound odd, doesn't it? However that is not what I meant." She rolled the wine around in her glass. "I mean, at the moment, I can't help but feel a need to contact her."

"You mean your gut is telling something's up?"

"I don't like supposition." Maura frowned at him. "It's terribly inaccurate."

"Alright, fine… but, you still think you ought to call her?" She nodded. "Well, then, why don't you call her?"

"Right now?" She looked scandalized by the idea.

"Sure, why not?"

"It's nearly 2 AM in Boston! I'm sure she's asleep by now." Maura set her wine glass down on the side table. "I think waking her would be counterproductive."

"I think you should call her." He tossed her cell phone on the bed. "Go on, I'll just wait right here to make sure the phone's working like it should."

"That doesn't make any sense, JR. How could you…"

"Call her, or I'm not leaving until you do. If I'm not going to get any, she's going to wake her happy butt up."

"JR!" Maura threw her hand across her chest in surprise. "Such language! I mean, really…"

"Maura," The warning in his voice was enough.

She picked up her cell and hit the speed dial for Jane's phone.

* * *

"Wait a minute… wait a minute," Jude swatted at Jane's hands as they tried to pull her shirt up. "Do you hear that? What _is _ that?" She stepped away from the brunette to try and slow her down. "I think that's one of our phones going off. We need to check it. You know we do."

Jane sighed and gave a little stomp of her foot. "Oh, fine." She pulled her phone out. "It's Maura." They stopped breathing. Jane started down at the screen. "I don't know," she looked up at the still dressed by very disheveled redhead before answering. "Rizzoli."

"_Jane, why do you sound out of breath?"_

"Maura, why are you calling me at 2 in the morning?"

* * *

**Jane's being stupid... I mean, trust me on this, Jude is _hot_... of course, so is Maura. Wonder which one she's going to go with...**

**PS Crack me, please!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

"What does it matter?" Jane stepped toward the windows in her bedroom. "You're calling me at 2am, Maura. Someone better be dead." Jane heard the redhead somewhere behind her stifle a chuckle.

"_That's not funny, Jane. Given our jobs…"_

"Maura, I mean it. Why are you calling me right now? I'm kind of busy here." Jane leaned her right hand against the side of the window and looked out over the apartments across the way.

"_Busy how? It's 2am. Is there a homicide? Are you and the family okay?"_ Jane heard something in background and Maura whisper, _"No, now stop helping."_

"Maura, who is that in the background? Is that a man's voice? Are you calling me at this hour while you have another person in your hotel room?" Jane smacked the windowsill. "Damn it, Maura…"

"_Jane, it's not what you think. JR and I were sharing a bottle of wine while we discussed…"_

"I've heard enough. Whatever it is, I don't want to know. I'll see you when you come back to work, Dr. Isles." Jane ended the call and turned her cell off. "I'm through dealing with this," she mumbled as she turned back toward the center of the room.

"How through?" Jude had made her way onto Jane's bed. Jane couldn't help but notice the redhead had managed to lose most of her clothing on the way there.

"So through that it's already a fading memory." Jane stalked toward her bed. "In fact, I don't even remember what we were talking about." She kicked off her shoes as she climbed onto the bed. "Do you?"

Jude smirked. "I don't know what you're talking about." She reached over to help Jane with her shirt.

"Good."

* * *

"I'm guessing that didn't go well?" JR finished off the wine by way of drinking the last bits directly from the bottle.

"No, it didn't, and her phone is now going straight to voice mail." Maura ran a hand across her face. "I think she was with someone. She told me she was busy. At 2 in the morning, the only things Jane are generally busy with are homicides or…"

"Getting busy?" He chuckled at the blonde's offended reaction. "Well, hell, that's what you were thinking even if that's not what you were going to say. You think she's already got another woman?"

"I have no definitive evidence. In fact, I have no evidence at all." Maura frowned. "None."

"You just have a hunch?"

"Hunches are unfounded. I don't base decisions on unfounded reasoning and little to no concrete evidence."

"God, Doc, you're frustrating. I don't know how that woman of yours put up with it for two years. You ever say anything that doesn't involve correcting the other person?"

"Well, of course I… I," Maura stopped talking. They sat in silence for a long while as she assessed her general interactions with Jane. "Perhaps not." She could feel the tears starting to fall, but she was too tired and too frustrated to care. "She told me she wasn't a doll to dress up. She said I was constantly telling her what to do and how to do it." Maura closed her eyes, letting the tears flow. "Perhaps she was more accurate in her assessment of our relationship than I wanted to believe? I never considered… sometimes I become so focused on the details that I disregard the perceived meaning behind my actions. I forget, or don't always understand, that what I say or how I do something can be thought of as… as…"

"Hurtful and bossy?"

The blonde shot the man across the room from her a dirty look. "Yes. Thank you."

"My pleasure," he retorted with a smirk.

She pulled a tissue from the box on the side table and wiped at her eyes. "Maybe she is right to leave me?"

"You really think so?"

"I don't know what I think." She blew her nose. "What do you think?"

"I think you ran away instead of working it out, and you left her feeling vulnerable. That can be a pretty bad place to be. I've had many a rebound relationship from that sort of thing happening." He rolled his eyes. "Nothing good ever comes of those rebounders, either." He shifted in the chair. "You miss her?"

"You know that I do."

"You love her?"

"Yes, I have for quite some time."

He nodded to himself. "But, are you _in_ love with her?"

"I'm not certain I understand the difference as you imply."

"Well, I love my dog. She's a beautiful lab that's been nothing but loyal to me from the day she came home. But, I wouldn't take a bullet for my dog."

"Are you saying that, to determine cordial familial affection from romantic affection, I should assess whether I would put my own life in danger or at risk to save that of the other person?"

"I'm too drunk for whatever you just said to make sense." He shut his eyes tightly for a moment. "Say it again so a normal person can understand it."

She sighed. "Are you asking me if I'd 'take a bullet', as you say, for Jane?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much the gist of it."

Maura looked down at her hands. She slowly ran her fingers over the back of her other hand and then flipped her hand over to run her fingers over the palm. She stared at her hand in concentration. "I never want anything awful to happen to her again. I'd do anything to stop." She balled her hand up into a fist. "Anything."

"Well, I think that answers that." He stood up. "You ready to deal with losing her?"

"I… no, I don't want to. But she…"

"Said something stupid in the heat of anger. You're the one that left her alone and hurt."

"This is all my fault, isn't it?"

"Yup."

Maura gave JR another scornful look. "I am starting to understand why others find my blunt truthfulness so frustrating." She sighed. "But, what can I do? It's not as though I can just hop on a plane and fly back to Boston right now."

"Sure you can." He gave her a smile.

"I don't understand."

He picked her still unpacked suitcase up. "Well, let's just say it's nice to know folks who have more money than God."

"God, any deity really, would have no need for money."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm keeping it safe for him, then." He started toward the door with her suitcase.

"Where are you taking my things?"

"I'm taking them to my car. We're leaving. Come on."

* * *

**Yes, I went there. I hope I don't lose anyone. Trust me, this _will_ get better.**

**Please feed me my crack. I can take it... whatever you need to vent off  
**


	7. Chapter 7

Maura pulled into the parking lot of Jane's building around 7 that morning. After flying in JR's personal jet from Dallas back to Boston, making a quick pit stop to drop her bags off, clean up, and get her own car, she was tired. The nap she'd taken in the small jet had done very little to help with the weariness she felt as she climbed the stairs to Jane's apartment.

Jane may have left Maura's house keys with Maura, but the doctor still had her copy of Jane's apartment keys. She stood in front of the detective's door trying to decide if she should knock or just enter. She finally decided to just enter. Whatever she found was what she found. She would deal with it as it came, which was not her preference.

She was beginning to realize that her preferences were going to have to start shifting if she was going to fix the mess she had managed to create.

She quietly opened the door and stepped in. Joe greeted her with a bound, and it took her a moment to get the little dog to let her pass by. She headed to the bedroom. Her heels made a distinctive clicking sound as she walked over the hardwood floors.

The bedroom door was open, and she found what she had expected.

Jane was in her bed with a redheaded woman that she recognized to be the medical examiner that had taken over while she was on leave. Both were nude. Both were disheveled. Both sound asleep.

She stood in the doorway looking in on the scene with a feeling somewhere between disgust for herself for letting this happen and sadness at seeing the possibility of Jane actually slipping away. After a bit of time had passed, she straightened and turned with a determined air.

She made her way back to the door, grabbed Joe's collar, and took the dog outside for a walk.

* * *

Jane woke up with a moan. The light streaming in from the part in her curtains was making unwelcomed patterns of light flash across her eyes. Mentally, she noted that Maura normally made certain those were completely closed before they went to sleep so that sort of thing didn't happen.

The warm body next to hers shifted, and she rolled over to pull the other woman to her. "Morning," she whispered as she kissed the back of the neck in front of her.

"Still not Maura," the other woman returned in an almost inaudible, husky, sleep filled voice.

Jane's eyes shot open and she sat up in bed. "What?" She looked around trying to get her bearings.

Jude rolled onto her back. She yawned and pushed up to lean against the headboard. After clearing her throat a few times and giving Jane a 'don't be stupid look', she tried again in a much louder voice. "I said that I'm still not Dr. Maura Isles. In fact," she started to slowly slide off the bed, "I believe I told you that two or three times last night." The redhead bent over to pick up her scattered clothes.

"Oh god," Jane ran the palms of her hands over her eyes. "Did I call you Maura while we were… oh man, I'm sorry, Jude. I didn't…"

"It's okay, Jane." The doctor turned around with a bundle of clothes in her arms. "I'm not really mad. In fact, I'm a little amused. It just goes to show I'm right." She looked at the bundle trying to decide what to do with them. "Can I borrow some clothes?"

"Yeah, sure, check the closet." Jane sat in the middle of her bed with her covers wrapped haphazardly around her as she watched the still nude redhead pad to her closet. "You were right about what?"

"About this." Jude pulled the closet doors open revealing Jane's wardrobe and a great deal of Maura's. "She still has her clothes here… and her shoes. I bet she still has a key to your apartment, too." She bent over to pull out a t-shirt. "I'll just take this shirt, if that's okay? I can deal with everything else until I can get back to my place."

Jane nodded even as she scowled at the other woman. "You didn't answer my question."

Jude shrugged. "What's to answer? You're still in love with her. Look, take my advice for what it's worth and talk to her when she gets back. I don't think it's too late to make amends." She stopped mid motion of putting her panties back on. "Well," she shrugged and then continued to dress, "I might be a kink in the works. But, I'm sure you two will work it out."

"How can you _say_ that? You don't even _know_…"

"Don't have to." Jude pulled her boots on. "You two are _way_ too intertwined in each other's lives. I may like my beer and pizza, but that doesn't make me stupid, Jane. You need to work it out. I should have left last night. I took advantage, and that makes me a horrible person."

"No, you… you were only…"

"Thinking I wanted to get laid. It was wrong, so you can tell Dr. Isles that I seduced you because I really did." She smiled to herself as she stood up. "You seem like the type to make irrational decisions and act with some fearlessness when you're emotionally hurt." She shrugged. "Like, I don't know… maybe you do the _one_ thing you know will hurt the other person as much as you've been hurt by them." She raised a hand to stop Jane from talking before she could start. "I don't think you always do it on purpose."

"What are you? A psychiatrist?"

"No, but I do have a degree that says I'm stupid amounts of good at profiling people."

"Seriously?"

"Yup."

"I suddenly feel like I've been had." Jane fell back into the bed with a thud.

"That's because you have. I told you I took advantage of you. I'm really sorry for that, Jane. I played you, and I shouldn't have. I hope Dr. Isles understands the situation when she gets back."

"I will." Maura strolled into the bedroom with a cup of coffee in one hand and two bottles of water in the other. As she moved through the stunned silence, she handed a bottle to the other doctor and the cup of coffee to Jane.

"Maura," in a daze of confusion, Jane sat up and took the offered cup of coffee. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to fix my mess," she replied lightly as she turned to the redhead. "I may need some assistance."

Jude nodded, "I'm not sure I'm the right pick, but I can give it a try."

Jane looked from one woman to the other. "Wait a minute, _what_ is going on here?"

"Jane, you didn't expect us to start fighting for your honor or some such medieval nonsense such as that, did you?" Maura scoffed lightly at the very confused, and still nude, brunette in the bed.

"What? No! It's just that… well, you two… this is fucking weird, okay?"

"Language, Jane."

Jude just chuckled. "I think I'll go take a shower if we're going to be at this for a bit, if that's okay?"

"I expected as much. I've taken the liberty of buying you some new clothes so you'll have something clean to change into. I hope they're to your liking. We've only met a handful of times, so I'm uncertain of your style, but I…"

"I'm sure they'll be fine, Dr. Isles. Thank you for your consideration." Jude nodded as she turned toward the bathroom. "I assume they're already in the bathroom?"

"Oh course, along with fresh towels," Maura called out to the retreating form of the redhead. She turned to the brunette and smiled. "I missed you, Jane."

"Maura, what… okay," the brunette put her coffee down on the nightstand and pulled the covers up to cover herself. "First of all, I'm naked."

"I've seen you nude before." The blonde sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, but not after I've spent the night with another woman, which brings me to point number two, which is… I spent the night with another woman!"

"I know you did. The evidence is everywhere of that encounter." Maura motioned around the room. "But, you wouldn't have done it if I had stayed and actually tried to talk to you about our relationship instead of letting you ignore me."

"I broke up with you, remember?" The bitterness was think Jane's in voice.

"I remember a heated exchange." Maura placed a hand on Jane's arm. "I know we both have said some things we, no doubt, wish we had not. But, I want to work on this… on us."

"How can you take this so calmly? If it was me, I'd _never_ go back to you after finding you in bed with another woman."

"I believe that is what you often refer to as a 'catch-22', Jane." Maura tilted her head to the side as she thought about what she was saying.

"What do you mean?" The detective narrowed her eyes at the blonde.

"You would never disregard my feelings and needs in lieu of making certain everything was perfect at all times. Therefore, our positions would never be reversed."

"I thought you didn't deal in absolutes?"

"I'm learning that my thought processes, when it comes to us, must change." Maura pulled her hand back and stood up. "Dr. O'Connor is out of the shower. Would you like to go shower and change? I've brought food to make breakfast… enough for three."

"You knew?" Jane looked down at her hands.

"I'm going to go start breakfast." Maura smiled at the brunette. "Will I see you in a bit?" She called over her shoulder as she walked out of the room.

"Yeah… yeah… I'm just going to go shower."

* * *

**I don't know who I feel bad for... I'm thinking maybe JR. I mean, he didn't get to see anyone of the naked...**

**Okay, I feel the need to explain Maura's actions here a little bit. Here's the deal, I see Maura as a very meticulous planner who has a contingency plan for almost every occasion. The way I figure it, she knows Jane well enough to know that, if she just stomps in and starts shouting, Jane will go all rawr on her and it'll just make things worse. So, in classic Maura style, she's keeping Jane thrown a little off balance so she can keep some control of the situation. Make sense?  
**

**My crack addiction appreciates your continued support.  
**


	8. Chapter 8

"Listen, Dr. Isles, I'm really very…"

"Get out." Maura retorted without looking up from the chopping board. She punctuated her statement with the sound of her knife cutting through the strawberries she had brought.

Jude nodded. "Yup, I probably should have seen that coming. You were just playing nice in front of Jane. Am I right?"

"I've never killed someone before, but I'm fairly certain I could do so and never be caught." She glanced up from her work station. "I don't carry the reputation as the Queen of the Dead without reason." She set the knife down with a loud click and gave a small, angry smirk as Jude jumped at the sound. "Get out before Jane comes out of the bathroom."

Jude backed slowly to the front door. "I can be gone by tomorrow morning."

"I'm still on leave. I don't plan to return until my leave is over." Maura began setting the table, not bothering to look over at the redhead at the door. "However, I expect my lab, my office, and my records to be immaculate upon my return." She spun to look the other doctor in the eye. "_My _girlfriend's enough of a mess thanks to you without the added pressure of putting my work life back in working order once I return."

"Now, wait a minute, it takes two to tango, Dr. Isles." Jude crossed her arms in front of her.

"I heard what you told Jane. I have no doubt of its accuracy. You took advantage of her. I should destroy your reputation for this, Dr. O'Connor."

"You wouldn't…"

"No, I wouldn't. I'm nothing if not ethical, and I, unlike some, do still carry a decent amount of integrity."

"Right," Jude reached for the door. "I deserved that. The morgue will be perfect upon your return, Dr. Isles."

"Good." Maura raised an eyebrow as she watched Jude close the door behind her.

* * *

Jane showered and dressed. She wasn't sure what was going on, but it put her on edge. When she felt on edge, she liked to have some sort of feeling of security somewhere. So, she dressed in what Maura had lovingly dubbed "detective chic".

A pair of black dress boots, a pair of black slacks, a heavy leather belt, a fitted white shirt, and she finished it by clipping her gun and badge to her belt.

She ran her hands through her hair, inhaled a big breath to steal her nerves, and headed out to the kitchen.

* * *

"Hey, Maura," Jane strolled into her kitchen showing more confidence than she felt. She almost went to kiss the blonde on the cheek but stopped short. "Where's Jude?"

"Oh, she had to leave." Maura smiled brightly and motioned for Jane to have a seat. If she noticed the gun and badge, she didn't mention it. "Strawberries and cream?"

"You know that's one of my favorites." With a wary eye, Jane watched the other woman float about her kitchen as if it was her own, personal domain. In a way, Jane supposed it was. Maura spent more time cooking in it than she did. "Maura, are we just going to pretend that nothing's going on here, or what?"

Maura finished putting the food on the table and sat down. "No, I plan for us to talk about this, but I don't want to start a fight." She watched as Jane took a bite of the strawberries and cream. When the brunette didn't say anything, she continued on. "We're both in the wrong here, Jane."

The detective raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Is Dr. Maura Isles admitting personal fault with something?" She rolled her eyes. "It's a miracle."

"I deserve that," The blonde frowned. "I probably deserve more than that."

Jane's eyes softened a bit. "Why would you say that? I'm the one who got caught in bed with another woman." She shook her head. "I just don't understand you sometimes, Maura. Why aren't you like other people? Other people who found their lover in the arms of someone else would fly off the handle. But you? You calmly stroll in, offer clean clothes to the 'other woman', and make breakfast _after_ walking your cheating lover's dog. You know, you're either completely nuts or completely disconnected from reality."

"Neither," the doctor calmly replied as she took a sip of her coffee. "I'm angrier than I can ever remember being. I'm extremely hurt. In fact, I haven't experienced this level of emotional turmoil ever in my adult life." She set the coffee cup down and placed her hands in her lap. "I'm torn between being angry with you for sleeping with Dr. O'Connor and being angry at myself for leaving, which allowed it to happen."

"Oh," Jane pushed her plate forward and closed her eyes. They sat in silence for a moment as the detective collected her thoughts. "I was wrong to do that." She looked back at Maura. "To sleep with Jude."

"Is that all?" Maura's face was set in an unreadable expression as she watched Jane.

"All? What else is there?" The brunette's voice was tired and frustrated, but the anger that normally would be there was all but non-existent. "Isn't that enough?"

"Sleeping with Jude O'Connor is enough?" The words were biting despite the coolness of the intonation.

"No! I mean… yes. I mean, damn it, Maura. What do you want me to say? You want me to say I'm sorry? Well, I _am_ sorry I slept with her. You want me to say I regret it? Well, I _do_ regret it. I mean, what else can I say or do?"

"Why didn't you tell me, Jane?" Maura tilted her head to the side, her voice quite but pained.

"About Jude?" Jane's look of confusion made Maura smirk despite herself.

"No, why didn't you tell me I was ignoring you? I get so hyper focused on things… all you had to do was _talk_ to me instead of blowing your feelings off, and we wouldn't be here now."

"I… what?"

"It's not that I always think something is wrong with how you behave or what you say; it's just the opposite, in fact. It's that I have a hard time not trying to make everything perfect at all costs. My meticulousness is perfect for my job, but it leaves me lacking as good partner. I'm certain I often borderline on obsessive compulsive disorder, actually. But, but that is my own, personal issue, which I plan to work toward resolving. However, if you never tell me you feel neglected or underappreciated, then how do I know that I need to change my behavior?"

Jane nodded. "You're right." She shrugged. "You're _always_ right."

"That's not true, Jane."

"Name a time when you've been wrong."

"I was wrong to never tell you what I think of you. I was wrong to not assure that I find you desirable. I was wrong in so many ways, Jane." The blonde swallowed hard and gave a long sigh.

"I guess you can only count yourself in the wrong if I do. I mean, I should have said something. I should have been more… I don't know… forthcoming when I started feeling like your arm candy. I really, _really_ shouldn't have slept with Jude. I guess I was just trying to hurt you back. I mean," Jane flinched, "It really hurt me that you just _left_ like that. I know we were fighting, but… I… I just needed," She stopped herself and it was clear she was changing directions in her thoughts. "I should never have told you it was over. It was a lie as soon as it was out of my mouth, but I let my anger and my pride take over when I should have been talking instead of yelling." She reached over and offered her hand. Maura tentatively took it. "You didn't cause this mess, sweetie. I did." She gave the hand in hers a little squeeze. "Do you think we can fix it?"

"We?" Maura gave a slight hint of a smirk.

"Yeah 'we'… I can't fix this alone now can I?" Jane flashed the smile she knew Maura loved to see. "I mean, if we're really in a relationship, then it's a _partnership_, and it takes both of us, right?"

Maura pulled her hand away from Jane's and stood up. "Yes." She picked up her purse. "I'm still very angry with you, Jane. It's going to take me some time. I'm going to go home now. I canceled my plans for the next couple of weeks, so I will be in town." She walked to the door. Before she left, she turned back to the detective. "We might be able to fix it, but I feel much mending needs to be done on both sides. You know where to find me." With that, she quietly left.

Jane sat in silence for a while as she ran over everything that had happened. After a time, she decided to pick up her kitchen and put things back in order. As she cleared off the counters, she noticed something sitting on top of her sugar canister.

She chuckled.

It was her copy of Maura's house keys.

* * *

**I was going to end it here, but _I_ feel unresolved. So, I'm going to press on until we get the Rizzles we all want to see... I hope.**

**PS reviews are my crack and my addiction continues to thank you for your support  
**


	9. Chapter 9

"Rizzoli, you okay?" Korsak dropped a fresh cup of coffee on Jane's desk.

Jane jumped a little in her chair and gave out a few choice words under her breath. "Yeah, I'm good." She took a sip of the fresh coffee and set the old cup with the rest of the graveyard that was starting to pile up on the right side of her desk. "Thanks."

"You sure? You look worse than you did when," he stopped talking abruptly. "Well, what I mean to say is that…"

"I look worse than I did when I broke it off with Maura," Jane leaned back in her chair. She sighed heavily. "That's what you were going to say, right?"

"Jane, I didn't mean to be insensitive. I'm just worried about you, is all." Korsak put a hand on her shoulder. "You know I'm here if you want to talk."

Jane closed her eyes for a long moment. "I did a stupid thing, Korsak." She could feel his grip tighten slightly.

"I'm guessing it was something other than calling it off with Dr. Isles?"

Jane opened her eyes and stared down Korsak for a moment. She was working up her nerve to say out loud what had been going through her mind during her sleepless night. "I… oh man," she closed her eyes again and leaned her head back against her chair. "I royally screwed the pooch, Korsak. I don't know if I can fix this." She opened her eyes again. "I slept with another woman the night before last."

"Oh boy," Korsak let go of her shoulder and settled into the chair by her desk.

"It gets worse." The brunette leaned forward until her forehead was resting on her desk. "Maura walked in on us the next morning."

"Dr. Isles is back?" Korsak glanced around the empty squad room.

"Yes, but she's still not at work. Jude'll be here until Maura's time off is up." She sighed into the wood of the desk. "It was Jude."

"You slept with the replacement ME?" Korsak crossed his arms. "What is it with you and medical examiners?"

"Korsak," Jane shot up. "It should never have happened. I had a moment of stupid, and I might have lost Maura forever because of it."

"But, _you_ called it off."

"I know." She whined.

"And, you're the one who slept with…"

"_I know_, okay? I know what I did. But, I didn't mean to."

"What didn't you mean?"

"Any of it." Jane ran a hand through her tangle of hair. "I didn't mean any of it. I just… I didn't expect Maura to run away, you know?"

"Well, you hurt her pretty bad, Jane. What did you expect her to do? Did you think she was just going to stick around here and deal with you ignoring her every day?"

"No, of course not." She frowned into her coffee.

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know. The whole thing is weird. Maura came in, walked Joe, brought fresh clothes for Jude, and made breakfast. I mean, she _knew_ I'd be with Jude, Korsak," she shook her head. "How could I let a woman go who knows me that well? Who gets me enough to know when I'm going to..." She clenched her jaw and slowly exhaled to keep her emotions in check. "I just don't get myself sometimes." She gave a mirthless chuckle. "Ma is going to kill me."

"I don't think I'd tell your mother about this, Jane. I'm just sayin'… it might be better if you waited until you figured everything out."

"Yeah, you're probably right." She nodded to herself. "She left my copy of her house keys on my sugar canister before she left." Jane slowly looked up at Korsak. "What does that mean?"

Korsak shrugged. "I'd say it meant it's not over yet." He stood up. "Sounds like Dr. Isles is giving you a second chance. I wouldn't screw this one up if I were you."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Thanks. That was incredibly helpful, Korsak."

"Hey, I can't tell you what to do, Jane. You're the only one who knows what she wants from you. If you don't, you're a detective. Figure it out."

* * *

Jane tried to still her racing heart and ragged breath as she picked up her cell and hit the speed dial for Maura. It had been nearly a week since she'd spoken to the other woman, but it had taken her that long to figure out what she thought she needed to do.

As the phone rang, she began to wonder if she had waited too long.

"_Isles."_

"Maura, it's me." She waited for a response, but nothing came. She cleared her throat and pushed on. "Listen, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to call you, but I had to figure some stuff out."

"_I see."_

"I deserved that. I probably deserve a lot more than that, actually." Jane started pacing her apartment. "I'm not sure I have the right to ask you this, but would you consider having dinner with me tonight? Nothing fancy. I just want to talk. I… I miss you."

"_When?"_

"Whenever you're free. Let me come pick you up… please?" She stopped moving and waited.

"_I can be ready in 45 minutes."_

She let out the breath she was holding. "Okay, ba… Maura. I'll be there."

The phone went dead.

* * *

Jane pulled into Maura's driveway a few minutes early. Everything felt off. She was accustomed to feeling like she was coming home whenever she parked her car there. At the moment, she felt as if she was meeting up with a stranger. She felt disjointed, disconnect.

With a heavy sigh and a grunt of frustration, she stepped out of her car pulling her jacket on as she walked the short distance to the front door. It was chilly outside, but she was certain she wasn't shaking because of the nippy weather.

She rang the bell.

It felt like a small eternity before the door opened to reveal Maura in a lovely dress with matching heels. "You have a key."

"Yeah, I know, I just," the brunette ran a hand across the back of her neck as she shifted nervously in the doorframe. "I didn't want to… well, considering… I just, I just didn't want overstep any boundaries, you know?"

Maura narrowed her eyes at the detective for moment. Then, she abruptly grabbed her purse. "Shall we?"

"Yeah… yeah," Jane stepped out of Maura's way. She waited for the doctor to lock the door and followed her toward the car. She opened the car door for the blonde and shut it gently behind her. Then, she slid into the driver's seat. "You look nice." She said as she pulled out of the drive. "I've always liked Chanel on you."

"I didn't realize you noticed that sort of thing." Maura turned her head to look out the passenger's window, but Jane could see the small smile playing on the blonde's lips in the side mirror.

"Yeah, I notice all sorts of things about what you like and do." Jane gripped the steering wheel tighter as she tried to keep herself from reaching over to touch the woman beside her. "For example, I know you keep a bottle Jack in your cabinet behind the pile of organic stuff you think I'll never touch." She smirked to herself remembering the time she'd discovered the bottle.

"I thought the level of the alcohol in that bottle was lower than I recalled." Maura gave the brunette a side glance. "When did you find it?"

"About six months ago. That's not actually the whiskey I found in there." Jane raised an eyebrow and leaned slightly to the right. In a conspirator's tone, she added, "I've replaced it twice since I found it."

Maura chuckled. "I think I may need to hide it elsewhere, in that case."

"I like a challenge." Jane smiled brightly. "It makes the whiskey that much more tasty when I find it."

"Oh, Jane," The blonde gave a playful smack to the detective's knee. "You're awful!"

"Maybe," the death grip Jane had on the steering wheel relaxed. "You hungry?"

"Where are we going?" Maura resettled herself so she was facing more toward the brunette.

"It's a secret."

* * *

**Well, at least it's a start, right?**

**Sorry for the length of time it took for this update. Life has been... trying recently.**

**Please feed me my crack. Thank you :)  
**


	10. Chapter 10

Jane chanced a glance in Maura's direction as she pulled into the little diner's parking lot. She couldn't help but smile at the confusion on the other's woman's face.

"We're here," she stated as she put the car into parking space and turned the engine off.

"Here?" Maura glanced around. "You're taking me to the dinner?"

"Yeah," Jane gave a small smile as she left the car and ran around to open Maura's door. "I know how much you like the coffee here." The brunette offered the blonde a hand to get out of the car. The offer was accepted with a tip of the head and a continued look of confusion. "Maura, would you be okay if I were to hold your hand in the diner?"

The doctor turned with a start to the detective and regarded her for a moment. "To be honest, I'm not sure," she replied with an air of slight amusement. "I don't know how I would handle it if one the guys came in and saw us holding hands. It might end badly." She smirked as she walked through the dinner door Jane held open.

The two followed the waitress to a corner table in the back of the small establishment. As they scooted into the booth opposite each other, the detective coyly replied, "If you're worried that I'd hold it against you if you pulled away because one of our friends or coworkers came into the diner, don't be. I understand."

They chuckled at each other before addressing the waitress and ordering their drinks and food.

"Maura," Jane placed her hands on the table, palms down. She took a deep breath. "I… I promised that night I'd try not to screw up." She frowned as she stared at her hands. "I broke it, badly, and I'm not really sure I can put any of those pieces back together again."

"Jane…"

"Let me finish. Please? I've been thinking about this, what I wanted to say. Just hear me out, okay?" She gave the doctor a pleading look. Maura simply nodded and waited. "I can't put those pieces back together. Neither of us can… We just _can't_. I know that, and I think you do, too. But, what we have, it doesn't happen every day, and, if we'd just not been so pigheaded with each other, maybe things would be better now. You know?" She closed her eyes. "I should have said something. You should have been more thoughtful of my feelings. I shouldn't have called things off because I was angry. You shouldn't have run away. I shouldn't have _ever_ slept with Jude." She opened her eyes to see Maura still waiting patiently. "I'm sorry, Maura. I'm sorrier than words could ever say, so I'm going to stop trying to say it. Instead, I thought, maybe, we could start over?"

"You mean act as though the past two years have not occurred?" The blonde frowned.

"No! No… no, no, no… these past two years have been," Jane grunted in frustration. "They've been good, Maura. Really, they have. I've loved being with you. I don't want to forget that or give that up for anything."

"Then what do you mean, Jane?"

"I mean, try again but take it slow like we did in the beginning. You know, keep it simple?" She flexed her hands and put them back down on the table, still palms down.

"Jane, do your hands hurt?"

"What?" The brunette's head shot up. Off all the things she had prepared herself for, that was not the response she was expecting. "Why would you say that?"

"You've starting placing your hands as you have them now on the table when your hands hurt and you don't have a warm drink to wrap them around. Are they bothering you?"

"Maura, fuck my hands. They're not important right now."

"Language, Jane." The doctor raised an eyebrow at the detective's language.

Jane rolled her eyes and pulled her hands back toward her. "They're fine."

"I don't believe you." Maura held her hands out, palms up. "Give me your hands."

"No, they're fine, and I don't care about them right now. Maura, please…"

"Let me help, Jane." The blonde gave the detective a small, reassuring smile. "I can help."

"No," Jane shook her head. "You can't help this time. I deserve all the pain I have. I earned it."

Maura reached over and grabbed Jane's hands in her own. "If we're going to start over," she began as she started to rub the brunette's left hand, "You must be more honest with me, and," she switched to the other hand, "I promise that I will try not to mess this up."

Jane sighed at the contact. "You didn't really mess anything up. You're perfect, babe. I should have known better." She shook her head trying to keep her tears back. "I don't want to lose you."

For a moment, the two women sat across from each other and simply regarded on another. Then, Maura let go of Jane's hands and stood. She deftly slid into the booth next to Jane. "I feel the same way."

"How did we get here, Maura? I know we love each other. I can't imagine life without you."

They stared forward, not touching each other or daring to look at each other.

"I'm not certain. Perhaps we stopped really paying attention to the other's needs?"

Jane gave a humorless chuckle. "I don't even know what I need anymore."

Maura nodded to herself. "Neither do I."

The brunette turned toward the blonde, "Do we need each other?" She frowned.

Maura bit her bottom lip as she swung her eyes back to the detective. "I feel lost without you around."

Jane reached out and tentatively placed her hand against Maura's cheek. The other woman leaned into the touch, closing her eyes as a tear began to slide down her perfectly made-up face. The brunette pulled the doctor to her, wrapping her arms around the smaller woman, cradling her, and placing small kisses on the crown of blonde hair she'd some to adore over the years. "I am so sorry… so sorry. Please forgive me. I swear I will _never_ hurt you again," she whispered as she held Maura's now shaking frame tightly.

For a long moment, they stayed that way. Jane held Maura as they both cried.

Finally, Maura pulled away. She wiped at her face for a moment before silently nodding. "You will," she leaned in and kissed a stunned Jane gently on the lips, "Given our past history, you're simply more likely to hurt me than I am you." She pulled back into a sitting position. "However," she looked down at her hands, "I accepted that the moment I told you I'd like to explore the possibilities, but I didn't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable." She sniffled. "If you ever…"

"I won't." Jane reached over and gently turned Maura's head back to look at her. "I won't ever do anything this stupid again. I swear, Maura. If I do, you have every right to leave me and never speak to me again."

"Don't think I won't."

Jane nodded. She gasped as Maura's lips met hers again. This time, there was more passion in the kiss, and Jane was taken aback by the forcefulness of it.

The waitress cleared her throat.

"Sorry," Jane mumbled as they pulled away from each other. "We were just…"

"You two make a cute couple. I've always thought you did. Don't worry about it." The server winked and placed their food down. "Let me know if you need anything." She left with a grin on her face.

"A cute couple," Maura smirked.

"You think?" Jane turned to her plate of cheese fries.

"I believe we are working towards that again, yes."

* * *

**It's a slow process, isn't it?**

**Please feed the FF writer her crack. She appreciates any and all hits. Thank you.  
**


	11. Chapter 11

Jane pulled into Maura's driveway and came to a silent stop. She threw the car into park. Taking a deep breath, she turned to look at the woman sitting next to her.

"I had a good time tonight," she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"As did I." Maura stared at her hands. "I suppose I should go inside. It _is_ late."

"Do you want me to walk you to your door?" Jane didn't try to keep the hopelessness out of her voice. Dinner had gone well, but things were still awkward between them. She wasn't sure what she could do to bridge the gap she'd helped to create, but she knew it wasn't going to happen overnight.

"No, I can manage." The blonde gave her a weak smile. "Thank you for offering. Will you stay until I'm inside?"

"I was planning on it." The detective reached out a tentative hand to touch the other woman on the knee. "When can I see you again?"

Maura tilted her head to the side in that way Jane had come to known as consideration. After a brief moment, the blonde leaned over, gently pressing her lips to the stunned brunette's. "You have a key," she whispered softly. Then, she slid out of the passenger's seat and walked the short distance to the front door of her house.

Jane sat silently and watched her go inside. She waited a few minutes more before putting the car into reverse and pulling out of the driveway.

"I have a key," she said out loud to herself. "But, to what?"

* * *

Maura closed her front door with a gentle click. She was tired, both physically and emotionally. She had hoped the dinner would help ease the two of them back into something close to where they had been before, but it was clear that Jane was feeling too scared to make any brash moves.

That was unusual for the dark haired detective.

Upon consideration, Maura realized that Jane was actually being a bit more logical than she. The thought surprised her. Ordinarily, things would be working in just the opposite fashion with Jane going blindly in and Maura trying to maintain some logical stance.

The doctor sighed as she bent over to give Bass his dinner.

"What do you think, Bass? Do you think I'm being foolish?" She gave his shell a gentle pat.

She walked toward her bedroom thinking on where she really wanted her relationship with Jane to go.

* * *

"Fuck." Jane dropped her keys in front of her door. She was having problems holding things well. Her hands hurt her on a constant basis, and the cold always made it worse. As she picked up the keys, she glanced to her side to see a pair of black shiny shoes standing next to her.

"If I were a serial killer, you'd be dead by now."

"Already tried." She stood up and threw her right hand up to show her palm. "Remember?" She opened her door. "What are you doing here, Frankie?"

"Rumor at the station was you had a date. I figured I'd come check on you. See how you were doing." He shrugged and plopped down at the counter.

"First of all, how did that rumor start, and, second of all, how did you know I'd be home just now?"

"Okay, so it wasn't a rumor. I saw you and Maura pull up at that diner. I figured you were out on a date." He took the beer his sister offered up. "I figured you weren't going to spend the night considering, so I came by after my shift was over. I was just going to wait until you got home."

"Am I that predicable?" She sat down on the other side of the counter.

"Only because you're my sister." He winked at her.

"I asked her when I could see her again."

"What did she say?"

"She said," Jane frowned for a moment as she looked down at her keys resting on the counter between them. "She said, 'You have a key'. Then she got out of the car and went inside."

"Sounds like an invitation to me."

"I think she means something else, though." A sigh escaped Jane's lips. "I fucked things up so badly, Frankie."

"You women," Frankie rolled his eyes and set his bottle down. "Why you always got to make things more complicated than they have to be, huh? I mean, here you have this gorgeous woman practically telling you to come inside her house whenever you want to see her, and you're thinking she has some kind of hidden agenda, and, you know," he stood up in a rush, "She probably does!"

"Frankie.."

"You're crazy, the whole lot of you. I tell you something, Janie. If you don't get your ass in gear and do more than mope around, you will lose her, and it won't matter if you got a key or not. So, why don't you use it while you still can? It's not like you don't know what she wants. Two years is a long time, Janie. You had to learn something." He walked to the door. "Use it." He walked out without another word.

Jane shook her head. "My family is crazy."

* * *

It was 2AM, and Jane hadn't been able to sleep. She kept thinking about what Frankie had said earlier, and she couldn't help but feel he was right about a few things. She rolled out of bed, grabbed an overnight bag, and got dressed.

Maybe she should do something else stupid?

* * *

Maura rolled over and reached out only to find the other side of the bed empty. Her eyes shot open. She realized she was looking for Jane. With a sigh, she glanced at the clock. It was 2:45 in the morning.

She groaned. "Why can't we just love each other?"

"I keep asking myself the same question." Jane dropped her bag just inside the bedroom door.

"Jane?" Maura squinted in the dark. "Is that you?"

"Yeah," the brunette walked around to the empty side of the bed and slide under the covers. "I have a key, remember?"

Maura gave a contented sigh as she wrapped herself around the other woman. "Yes, I gave it to you... twice."

Jane gave Maura a gentle squeeze. "I should never have left it behind." She placed a kiss on the doctor's temple. "I'm glad you gave it to me a second time. I promise never to leave it behind again."

"Good." Maura snuggled into Jane. She was always cold. The detective was always warm. "I'm glad you're here."

"Can I stay?"

"As long as you like."

"What if that's forever?"

"I'm agreeable to that." Maura yawned as her body settled against the familiar feeling of her lover's embrace. "But, only if you're agreeable to being my trophy girlfriend for formal functions."

"Fine, but you have to be my trophy girlfriend at all my formal functions."

"Drinks at the Dirty Robber doesn't count as a formal function, Jane."

"It's as formal as I get." They both gave a soft chuckle. "I'm taking the rest of the week off." Jane moved to indicate she wanted to roll over on her side. Maura automatically followed her lead, and they were soon spooned together with Jane pressing tightly against Maura's back. "Can I stay here with you?"

"Yes. Please... stay with me."

"Thank you," Jane whispered as they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Almost over... you will see Jude and JR again...**

**Crack me, please  
**


	12. Chapter 12

"Isles." Maura answered her phone with a slur of her last name. She had been in a dead sleep when it went off. It had taken a few seconds of struggling to move Jane's arm before she could even reach her phone, and that combined with being comfortable only added to her irritation at being woken up from a wonderfully peaceful sleep.

"_You sound pissed. I was going to call you and see how things were going, but it sounds like it's not going too well."_

"JR?" Maura sat up in bed. "Do you know what time it is?"

"_Yeah, down here in Texas it's noon, which means it's 1 in the afternoon where you are."_ He paused for a moment. _"Now wait just a second here. You don't mean to tell me you were still asleep?"_

"Yes, in fact, I was asleep, and I see no reason for that to be an issue considering this is my vacation time." She felt Jane slowly sit up in bed.

"_Yeah, I can't say I blame you, really. But, seriously, Maura, how are you doing? Have you and your woman finally settled back down?"_

"Jane and I are working toward it." She glanced over to see Jane's eyes narrow.

"Maura, who is that on the phone?"

"It's JR, Jane. He called to see how I was doing." The doctor turned slightly away from the suspicious look she was receiving.

"JR? That guy who was in your hotel room? What is he doing calling you?"

"Jane…" The warning in Maura's voice was not enough to deter the still half asleep detective.

"Why does he have your number?"

"_I'm guessing your woman was sleeping, too? Let me talk to her."_

"What? No, absolutely not." The doctor was clearly distraught over the idea.

"Are you telling me no?"

"No, not _you_, JR." Maura sighed in frustration.

"What does he want?"

"He wants to talk to you." The blonde leaned away from Jane's hand as it reached for the phone. There was a small but playful struggle as they fought for control of the phone. But, after a ninja tickle, Jane wrestled the phone from Maura's grasp.

"This is Detective Jane Rizzoli."

"_Well, hello there, Detective. This is Jason Randal Hurst, but you can call me JR, and you owe me a pretty big favor."_

"Excuse me?" Jane's muscled tensed.

"_I'm not going to lie, that woman you have sitting next to you is about the prettiest and smartest female I have ever met, and I was pretty tempted to make you into a monster so I could have my way with her, so to speak. But, I'll be damned if all she did was talk about you all night. I tell you right now, that woman loves you more than just about any person ought to love another one. So, I took it upon myself to fly her back the same day she left so she could be with you. And, what do I find out? You were in bed with another woman. Despite the fact that I'm pretty sure I still had a shot at that point, I talked her down all week long whenever she wanted to give up because you were too stubborn to come over and face the music with her. Don't get me wrong, all I did was offer her a shoulder. She kept herself in line. But, I still think you owe me. If it weren't for me, she'd still be in Texas, and you'd still be stupid. As it stands, you're just being stupid."_

"Who do you think you are? You can't talk to me like that!" Jane held Maura at arm's length as she growled into the phone.

"_I'm Maura's friend, and, if you hurt her again, I will personally come after you with the Colt I keep in my bedside table. She deserves better than what she got when she got home."_

Jane sat perfectly still for a moment. She looked at a now very concerned Maura before taking in a large breathe of air. "Yes, she did. But, it was a two-way street, JR."

"_I'm not saying it wasn't. What I am saying is your street was a hell of a lot more fucked up than hers."_

"I really want to yell at you right now, but it's hard to argue with the facts." The brunette ran a hand over her face. "Have any other words of wisdom for me?"

"_Love her."_

"I'm trying."

"_Why do you women always make things so complicated? Don't try. Just do. Besides, you do anyway. Just go with it."_

"You're the second man to tell me that."

"_That should tell you something, right there."_

"Maybe. You want to talk to Maura again?"

"_Yeah, I do."_ Jane slowly handed the phone back to the blonde.

"JR?"

"_Maura, I got to go, but I just wanted to tell you bye. You call me if anything happens and you need to talk, okay?"_

"Okay, goodbye JR." Maura ended the call and place the phone back on her nightstand. "Jane, what did he tell you?"

Jane frowned for a moment. Then, she reached over and pulled Maura to her, wrapping her in a tight embrace. "He told me to keep my act together or he'd shoot me."

"He did not!" Maura nestled herself into Jane's hold.

"No, really, he did. But, I'm pretty sure I deserve it, so I'm going to let the fact he threatened a cop slide… this time." She placed a soft kiss in the crown of blonde hair in front of her.

They sat that way for a long moment. In the silence of Maura's house, it seemed they were both finally finding the peace they once had with each other.

"Jane?"

"Hmm?"

"Let's go take a bath."

* * *

**I can't write the next part at work. Sorry, folks... but at least you know it'll be full of yummy fun if it's something I can't write at work. ^_-**


	13. Chapter 13

Maura ran the water and sprinkled her favorite bath salts in. After taking time to light a few candles and lay out two big, fluffy towels, she slowly slid into the warm water. She slowly settled into the water and enjoyed the feel of the water slowly rising up her body.

"Maybe I should just sit here and watch?" Jane gave a small smirk as she stepped into the warm, foggy bathroom.

"Don't be silly, Jane. Who will turn the water off if you don't join me?" Maura didn't bother to turn her head from where it rested on the back of the giant garden tub, nor did she open her eyes. Instead, she simply smiled.

"Oh, right, I guess that is my job, isn't it?" Jane slowly walked toward the tub.

"I don't recall hiring anyone else for the position."

"Thank goodness." Jane turned the water off and gently sat down facing the other woman. "This is nice." She leaned back in the water as she carefully shifted her legs to run along the sides of the tub effectively pinning Maura between them. "I'm glad you thought of it."

The doctor slowly opened her eyes to gaze at the woman in front of her. "I believe you are facing the wrong direction, Jane."

"Is that so?" The brunette raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." Maura pushed up in the tub to a sitting position. "Come here." She reached a hand out.

"If you insist," Jane turned in the tub and leaned back against the blonde. "You feel good." She pulled the other woman's arms around her.

"So do you." Maura gave the detective a gentle squeeze. "I've always enjoyed the way you feel in warm water." She pulled her hands free and ran them over Jane's skin. "It's very pleasant."

Jane's breath caught for a moment at the intimate feeling of Maura's hands running over her skin. "I… I'm glad you like it." She closed her eyes and tried to suppress the moans that threatened to escape her throat. "Maura, are you sure?" She groaned as a hand found its way to Jane's very sensitive inner thigh.

Maura nuzzled the crook of Jane's neck. "Yes," she hissed as she shifted in the water, pulling Jane closer.

"But… but, what if we… I don't want to… I've already messed up… with Ju…" Jane let out a gasp as she felt Maura's teeth press down into the muscles of her neck. "Oh God, babe!"

Maura bit down hard as she pushed her hand further up Jane's thigh toward her center. "Mine," she growled into Jane's ear as she swiftly pushed inside Jane.

The brunette let out a small squeak of surprise. "Maura!" She reached out, grasping the sides of the tub, her head throwing back to push against the blonde's shoulder.

"I've had a lot of time to think about this, Jane," the doctor continued to growl as she worked Jane to distraction with a strong and steady rhythm. "I think it's time I took a more active role in making certain everyone knows where you and I belong." She pressed her palm against Jane as she continued her rhythm.

"I don't… this isn't like you," Jane managed to breathe out the words as her body moved of its own accord to a counter rhythm.

"No, but perhaps it should be. I want you, Jane. I find you attractive." She placed a gentle kiss on the mark she made. "You're beautiful." She slowly licked a line from the mark up to the brunette's ear. "Beauty such as yours cannot be left unnoticed, and I don't intend to do so again." She gently blew across Jane's ear. Jane groaned. "I don't intend for anyone to mistake it… to mistake you as someone they can have."

Jane was close. "Please…babe, please." Her grip on the sides of the tub tightened.

"Tell me," Maura whispered into Jane's ear.

"I was stupid." Jane whined.

"And?"

"And… God, please…" Her eyes were shut, her breath coming in gasps.

"And? Tell me, Jane."

"And, we both should've…. Have talked," Her frantic movements were causing the water to splash over the sides of the tub.

"And?"

"And, I shouldn't have… shouldn't…Jude, bad," she tried to move faster against Maura's hand, but the doctor held her still with her free hand.

"And?"

"And?" Jane squealed. "And, I said… sorry… already." She whimpered.

"And?"

"And… fuck, what do you want?"

"Tell me."

"I love you!" Jane began to cry. The tears rolling down her face as she pushed back against Maura's body, "And I'm yours." She groaned out the final sentence.

Maura increased her tempo pushing Jane over the edge.

* * *

It took time for Jane to come down. When she finally managed to catch her breath and settle her body, she found herself wrapped in Maura's embrace.

"Babe… that was… wow." She raised Maura's hand to her lips and laid a gentle kiss on it.

"Better than Jude?" Maura smirked into Jane's wild hair.

The detective chuckled. "Way better." She rolled over in the tub to face her lover. "I was a fool."

"We were both foolish."

"I'm not leaving again. I'm staying until you kick me out."

"Good." Maura smiled. "Just remember, now that you've given me ownership of yourself, you are no longer allowed to make decisions that life altering again without first discussing it with me."

"There's always a catch." Jane chuckled as she began to lay kisses over Maura's neck and chest.

* * *

"I don't own a damn thing that will cover this up," Jane leaned over the bathroom sink to get a closer look at the bruise on her neck. "You know, I'm surprised this didn't hurt."

"Language, Jane." Maura smirked. "Endorphins are natural pain suppressants." Maura stood on her toes to inspect the mark. "I must admit, I had no intention of leaving such as large mark." She scrunched her nose. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

Jane shrugged. "It's fine. It doesn't matter anyway. I mean, it's not like I'm going to work. I took the rest of the week off, remember?"

Maura smiled. "Yes, I do. I also remember what you're doing for the remainder of the week."

The brunette turned to lean against the sink. "What's that?"

"Staying here with me, of course."

"Of course." The detective pulled the doctor to her. "How silly of me to forget such an important thing." Her phone rang. "Seriously?" She made a face. "That's work's ringtone."

"Jane, don't. You're on vacation."

"But, what if it's important? I got to get it, babe." She sighed heavily. "Rizzoli. Another one? Can't Korsak or Frost… Right, of course. How long are you going to need me there because I've got plans, and… couple of hours to help identify… Yeah, I got it, but I'm bringing company. Yeah, of course I can. Because I'm the detective and I said so, that's why. We'll be there in a few." She closed her phone and rolled her eyes. "They need me there to run over some new results from the Bringham case. Korsak and Frost are out on a new scene, and you know the DA's all over this case right now."

"I know." Maura frowned. "I understand. Let's get dressed. After we're done at the station, we can get lunch. I've been wanting to try that little bistro down the street from the station."

"That's a great idea."

"I have some cosmetics that should cover that mark." The blonde began to pull open a drawer, but she was stopped by the brunette's hand.

"Nope. I'm on vacation. They call me in at their own risk. They'll just have to deal." Jane smirked at Maura's astonished expression.

"What will you tell them when they ask you what happened?"

"Babe, it's pretty obvious what happened. But, if they ask, I'll just tell them to ask my owner what happened." She winked and laughed as she walked into the bedroom.

* * *

**That was fun to write, and I feel better now. I don't know about the rest of you reading this, but I'm thrilled they're back together.**

**Please feed me my crack. Thank you!  
**


	14. Chapter 14

"Jane," Dr. O'Connor greeted the detective without bothering to look up from the paperwork stacked neatly on the desk she was occupying. "I'm sorry to bother you while you're on vacation, but Detective Frost was adamant that he and Detective Korsak could not come up to review this. As you know, the DA has been breathing down our…" She stopped short when she looked up to see Dr. Maura Isles standing next to the detective. "Dr. Isles. Are you back from your vacation so soon?" Jude visibly swallowed.

"No, not at all. Jane wanted me to accompany her so we could go from here straight to lunch. I trust everything is still in order?" Maura smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Jane noticed the interaction but decided to bookmark it until after they were out of the station.

"Yes, Dr. Isles, everything is just as you left it." The redhead swept the morgue with a nervous look as if to double check her own statement.

"Well, not everything," Maura wrapped an arm around Jane's. Jude visibly winced. Jane narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "You are, of course, occupying the desk Jane normally uses when _she_ is working in the morgue with me."

"I wasn't aware of that. I decided it would be easier to work here than to overtake your office." Jude winced. "Let's just get this over with, okay?" She handed Jane the paperwork. "Here's everything I've found so far. Can you check it and let me know?" She stood up from the desk. "I'm going to go… they have makeup for that." The redhead peered intently at Jane's neck.

The brunette shrugged as she flipped through the papers. "I'm on vacation."

Maura smirked.

"Right," Jude sighed heavily. "Your dental structure is practically perfect, Dr. Isles, if that imprint is as accurate as I'm sure it is."

"Thank you. I try to maintain good oral hygiene."

"Clearly," Dr. O'Connor grumbled as she turned away from the couple. "I'm going for coffee. I'll be back in a little while. Maybe you'll be done by then and we can finish up?"

* * *

"I'm pretty sure she called Jane." Frost and Korsak stepped out of the elevator and headed to the morgue's double doors.

"I told her not to. You _did_ hear me tell her not to, right?"

"Yeah, but the DA's riding us hard on this one. I told her to call Jane if she got done before we could get back." Frost rolled his eyes at the growl Korsak threw his way.

"You know, Jane needs a break. That thing with Dr. Isles…"

They stopped talking as they entered the morgue to find Jane calmly going through the paperwork while Dr. Maura Isles seated on her lap, cuddled against her.

"Oh man," Frost twitched slightly.

"I thought you two couldn't make it back?" Jane glanced up in the men's general direction.

"Yeah, well, we got back as soon as we could." Korsak started to slowly walk toward the women. "Is Dr. Isles okay?"

"I'm fine, Vince." She turned her head to give Korsak a sleepy smile. "Hello Barry."

Frost cleared his throat. "Dr. Isles."

"Well, if you two are here, I'm taking Maura and leaving." Jane held the paperwork out to Korsak. "Here, take this. I'm on vacation; I don't want to be here, and I don't want to look at this stuff. Babe, it's time to go."

"Okay, Jane." Maura reluctantly stood from Jane's lap. "Shall we go to lunch or go home?"

"Lunch. I'm starving." Jane glared at the men. "Don't. Call. Me. As far as anyone is concerned, I don't exist until next week. Same goes for Maura. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure, Janie. No problem." Korsak took a step back.

"And don't call me Janie." The brunette glared at the other detectives for a moment. Then, she wrapped an arm around Maura's waist and guided them out of the room.

"Well, I guess everything's back to normal." Frost walked over to Korsak. "Bout time if you ask me."

"Did you see the hickey on Jane's neck?" Korsak stared after the retreating form of the women as they entered the elevator.

"I don't really want to think about it. Give me some of that paperwork."

* * *

"Maura," Jane looked across the booth at the blonde. "What was all that about with Jude back in the morgue?"

"What do you mean?"

"She looked scared. What did you do to her?"

"I've done nothing to her." Maura took a bite of her food.

Jane narrowed her eyes at her partner. "Okay, what did you say to her to cause her to act that way?"

The blonde took a long moment to chew and swallow. "You know, this is really very good. Would you like to try a bite?"

"Maura…"

"Jane, I would rather not discuss it."

"Too bad because I would rather discuss it. Maura, what did you tell her?" Jane pulled Maura's plate away from her. "Tell me. You know I'm not going to stop until you do, and I know you can't lie about it."

The blonde gave a small sigh of frustration. "That day that… that I came back, before you stepped out of the shower?" Jane nodded. "I told Jude… Well," Maura bit her lip. "I told her to get out. Then, I told her I had never killed someone before, but I was fairly certain I could do so and never be caught." She frowned. "I told her that I don't carry the reputation as the Queen of the Dead without reason." She winced. "I then proceeded to tell her I expect my lab, my office, and my records to be immaculate upon my return." She sighed, running a nervous hand over a cheek. "Then, I told her my girlfriend's enough of a mess thanks to her without the added pressure of putting my work life back in working order once I return. Honestly, Jane, I don't know what came over me. I mean, I…"

Jane interrupted her with a fit of laughter. "You really told her all of that? God, no wonder she looked so freaked out today." Jane leaned across the table and gave Maura I kiss. "I love you, babe. I don't deserve you."

"Not the reaction I was expecting, but I'll take it."

"What do you say we get out of here?"

"I think that's a fantastic idea." Maura paused for a moment before sliding from the booth. "Perhaps I can give a matching mark? I do hate to have things uneven." Maura smirked.

Jane raised an eyebrow. "Even, huh? Let me take care of making things even."

"Jane, I don't really see how you can make things even on yourself. It's physically impossible to…" Maura let out a soft yelp as Jane wrapped her arms around the blonde, pulling her close.

"I'll just have to put a matching one on you. That should even things up, right?" The brunette whispered into the blonde's ear.

"Oh, I see." Maura pulled away but kept hold of Jane's hand. "We should make haste, then. I'd hate to waste time."

"I don't plan to waste another second with you, babe. Never again."

"I'm happy to hear that. I feel the same way."

"Good, let's go home."

* * *

**Well, that's that! Hope you enjoyed it. Please feed me my crack and give me that review you know I'm dancing in circles for. Thanks and thank you so very much for reading this! ^_^**


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